


While It Lasts

by LeslieRose



Category: Heroes (TV)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-07
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-16 16:15:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3494816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeslieRose/pseuds/LeslieRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>20 years have passed. Noah is in college and it dawns on Elle that she is aging-and Gabriel isn't. Her time is running out. To Gabriel's dismay and confusion, Elle starts running away. Elle/Claire friendship. Hint Peter/Claire. (Completed)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Heroes or its characters.

* * *

**1**

His phone beeped.

Gabriel put the salad that he was mixing aside and checked his phone.

_Claire needs my help, her apartment has no power. Don't wait up. Love you_

His heart sank, and his eyebrows drew together in a frown.

This was the fourth time in the week Elle had to come home late,  _really_  late. Each time she would come back in the middle of the night and carefully slip into bed beside him, trying not to wake him. If he did wake and question her about it, she would say she was tired and go right to sleep.

What'd been the last time? And the times before?

_Peter and Claire had a fight._

_Peter needs my help with someone who has a similar ability._

_Claire asked me to sleepover._

Gabriel started to wonder if Elle was doing this on purpose, and with only text messages, he could not tell if she was lying.

Something was not right. He could sense it in her shifting eyes and the subtle distance that she had put between them. There had been a wall between them he could almost touch it.

After many years of peace and content, he was starting to feel the need again.

The need to know and understand…

Gabriel looked at the dinner that he'd been preparing and ran his hand up his hair in frustration.

X X X

Elle gazed at her reflection in the mirror with dejection, her hands mechanically blow-drying her hair. When she was done she set down the blow-dryer and studied herself closely.

She still looked beautiful. She knew she did, for a 42-year-old woman. She had the same bright blue eyes, high cheekbones and pink lips. If it was any consolation, she was what young men would call a MILF.

But that was  _not_ any consolation. She looked  _different_  from 20 years ago. Time had done damage to her body. Her skin was less supple; there were lines on her face and wrinkles at the corners of her eyes; her body was not perfect anymore, she had gained a few extra pounds and her breasts weren't perky anymore.

It finally sank in that she was aging, and the terrifying part was, Gabriel wasn't.

She put on her robe and got out of the bathroom before she could dwell on her self-pity any further.

The ex-cheerleader was lying on the sofa reading a magazine. When she heard Elle walk out of the bathroom she gave Elle a disinterested glance, then turned her attention back to her Cosmo.

This was the fourth time this week. Claire was starting to get used to Elle taking refuge in her place when she did not want to be with Sylar, though she could not fathom  _why_  Elle would be avoiding Sylar. Claire grimaced. If they were so madly in love that Elle could forgive Sylar for killing both her father  _and_ her, Claire failed to see what could be such a big deal.

Claire had begrudgingly accepted that Sylar was not going to disappear from her life after all. According to Peter, when Elle'd gotten pregnant, Sylar'd gone to Matt Parkman to have his abilities removed, fearing that he would eventually hurt his girlfriend again. A series of bizarre events had ensued: Sylar got stuck in a nightmare, Peter joined him in his nightmare, Peter forgave Sylar for no reason and Sylar became one of the saviors at the carnival.

Naturally, Claire'd thrown a fit when she'd learned that Peter had forgiven Sylar in a damned  _dream_  because Sylar had repented in said dream. Claire still rolled her eyes at the absurdity of it. Anyhow, Peter and Sylar had become buddies ever since and Claire had bonded with Elle over time.

Feeling Elle's gaze on her, Claire looked up at her again. Elle had her jaw clenched and looked like she is about to zap her.

"Okay. What is your problem?" Claire finally put down her magazine.

Elle snapped out of her reverie and shrugged. "Nothing."

"Yeah, tell Sylar that."

Elle narrowed her eyes. "I was just thinking, Peter is going to leave you."

"Excuse me?" Claire said, slightly offended.

"No," Elle explained, "Not because you're a bitch. I mean, you  _are_ a bitch, but that's not what I'm saying. It's just…you don't age, but Peter does."

Claire blinked. "He absorbs powers. He can regenerate."

Elle frowned. She did notice that Peter was aging  _slow._ Really slow, but he was still aging. "Yeah, but he absorbs power one at a time. Will he be content with only regeneration? He'll always want to switch abilities to help people. Eventually he will leave you," Elle said matter-of-factly.

Claire stared at Elle. Why was she bringing this up?

Then realization hit her. "Wait…this isn't about Peter. This is about Sylar. You're scared because you're aging and he isn't."

Elle lowered her gaze and muttered, "You have no idea how jealous I'm of you."

Claire's heart clenched. She could still be with Peter for as long as Peter allowed it, but Elle didn't have a say in the matter.

Her time was running out.

Claire shook her head. "Don't be. It's the living who suffers, not the dead."

Elle bit her lip. Neither of them spoke for a while, and then Elle looked up and Claire thought she saw tears in her eyes. "I think I'm leaving him."

Claire dropped her mouth open. "What?" No…oh no. This was big. How would Sylar react? What if he went on a killing spree? Worse, what if he blew up? Shit. She had to tell Peter. Maybe they needed to move out of the country for a while.

Oh wait. She and Peter could regenerate.

A million scenarios flew through Claire's head when Elle exhaled heavily. "I don't know. I just feel like a cougar drooling over a 30-year-old hunk, okay? I'm starting to look like his mom."

Claire rolled her eyes. Now this was ridiculous. "Sylar is  _not_ 30, and—"

"Whatever—"

"—you don't look like his mom. You still look hot and you know it—"

"He doesn't want me anymore," Elle said, putting her face down on the table, her voice muffled.

Exasperated, Claire raises her voice. "You're such an idiot. Stop that nonsense—"

"I'm not kidding!" Elle replied indignantly. "He hasn't touched me in over two weeks! He lost interest, OK?"

Claire stared at her again. No way. Ever since Sylar'd overcome his hunger for powers, the only hunger that she had seen on his face was when he looked at Elle.

"May…be…he has…issues…?" Claire suggested sheepishly, though she knew that wasn't the answer. Sylar could regenerate, his body always had optimal health.

Elle took a deep breath, trying hard not to cry. "I don't want to go home. I can't stand…to be so close to him, knowing that I'm losing him."

Claire frowned. She still thought Elle was mistaken. "Don't jump to conclusions. You should at least talk to him first."

"And say what?" Elle demanded. "Beg him to stick with me until I die?" She looked Claire up and down, gesturing at her 20-something appearance. Her voice cracked. "Gosh, Claire. I'm not like you. Indestructible and young and… _special_. I should have known it was never going to last. Why was I so stupid?"

Claire winced at Elle's words. She had never wanted her immortality, had never asked for it, but this was probably not a good time to point that out. "Elle, You can't just leave! I mean," she made a face, "you don't just dump a serial killer like that, who knows what he'll do?"

" _Ex-_ serial killer," Elle smiles wryly, "and that's exactly how you dump a serial killer. You don't give him a heads up."

Claire gaped at Elle.  _She cannot be serious._  "Wh…what about Noah?"

"Of course I'll still see Noah," Elle scowls. "He lives on campus anyway. College life and new girlfriends will keep him busy enough, he can deal with mommy taking a break from home."

Claire opened her mouth, then shut it.

To her surprise, she was feeling an anger rising in her, for  _Sylar._  While it was true that Sylar was a serial killer, a psychopath and an asshole, it was hardly his fault that Elle was aging! If Peter dared leave her because of her immortality…

Claire shook her head and stopped that thought.

She took her cellphone out and started dialing. "You have to talk to Sylar."

Elle looked at her feet and mumbled, "No, I don't."

At Claire's unresponsiveness, Elle looked up. "Who're you calling?"

"Your husband."

A bolt of electricity hit Claire. She yelped and flung her cellphone into the air involuntarily, then it landed on the floor with a thump.

"What the hell?" Claire demanded.

Elle smirked smugly.

_"Hello?"_

Elle widened her eyes and turned her head sharply to the source of the voice.

Claire grinned. The call'd gone through and the phone was on speaker mode. Before Elle could blast her phone, she kicked it across the floor and it skidded out of sight.

"Sylar!" Claire yelled.

"…Claire?" Gabriel answered uncertainly. That was a new one. Claire  _never_  called him.

"Elle— _ugh_ —" A bolt of electricity hit her again, and she fell and convulsed on the floor.  _Damn. Elle isn't gonna play nice._

Elle walked past Claire swiftly to look for the phone, only to trip and fall on the floor hard when Claire grabbed her foot. "Oww."

Gabriel frowned. Was that Elle? "Are you guys okay?"

Claire climbed on top of Elle, struggling to pin her hands down. She gritted her teeth. "Sylar, can you get here right now?"

Elle managed to free one hand and grasped Claire's throat.  _Stop. Talking._  There, indestructible cheerleader still needed to breathe.

"Uh, sure. I can be there in twenty."

"Dumb…ass…Te…le…port…" Claire choked, trying to pry Elle's hand off her throat.

Had they been drinking? He'd thought Claire had regenerative liver and couldn't get drunk.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "I can't teleport." And she better not get him start thinking about it.

Claire shoved Elle away with all her might, finally air rushed in her lungs. "THEN. FLY."

The long beep from the phone indicated that Gabriel had hung up.

"You bitch!" Elle threw her hands up in outrage, then she started to panic. "Oh my God he's coming."

Elle quickly turned to the door.

Claire tackled Elle again and held her on the floor. "Will you just…calm down…What are you so afraid of?"

Elle tried to kick her. "Let. Go. Of. Me…"

Claire gasped in surprise when someone lifted her off of Elle.

_"For Christ's sake, Claire. Let go of Elle."_

Gabriel had flown into the apartment from the open window and much to his amazement, found the two blondes wrestling on the floor. He helped Elle get on her feet. There were scratches on Elle's hands.

He looked at Claire reproachfully. "She can't regenerate, Claire. What were you guys doing?"

Absolutely exasperated, Claire pointed a finger at Elle accusingly. "She tried to crush my windpipe!"

"Because you—" Elle started, irritated.

"And I called you because Elle wants to go home," Claire interjected.

Elle gaped at Claire, enraged. "You're kicking me out?!"

"Are you saying you don't want to go home?" Claire arched an eyebrow at her annoyingly.  _I dare you to say it in front of Sylar._

Elle could feel Gabriel's gaze on her, watching her reactions. She glared at Claire. "Bitch."

Then she walked out of the apartment and slammed the door.

X X X

"Elle!" Gabriel caught up with Elle and grabbed her arm.

The night wind was cool, and Elle was only wearing a bathrobe. She leaned on Gabriel rigidly, rubbing her hands together to stop herself from hugging him. "Let's just go home," her tone crisp and hard.

Pondering what Claire'd said to him earlier after Elle had left, Gabriel wrapped his arm around Elle's waist and jumped, propelling both of them into the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

Elle stared at her wedding photo, reminiscing. She had been pregnant with Noah at the time. Sylar had just come back from the carnival and he'd asked her to marry him.

The ceremony'd been small. There'd been only Peter, Emma, a wary Noah Bennet and a grouchy Claire, but Elle'd felt like it was her happily ever after.

Sylar had gone by Gabriel ever since.

This was supposed to be her happy ending, her fairy tale. She'd been young and the implications of Gabriel's immortality never sank in until now. Eventually she would be gone, and then Gabriel would still be Gabriel.

Maybe he would find another woman; maybe he would meet another electric girl, replacing his memory of her completely; or maybe it would be someone who regenerated, immortal like him, and then they would stand by each other while everybody else slowly turned to ash.

A sharp sense of jealousy twisted her heart and the lamp beside her flickered.

Would the woman be damaged and treacherous like her? Or would the woman bring him peace and keep the monster within him at bay?

The bathroom door opened.

Elle put down the wedding photo and lay down hastily on her side, facing the wall.

Gabriel crawled into the bed beside Elle. He watched her back with a troubled expression.

" _She's really upset," Claire said, "Talk to her."_

_Gabriel frowned, "What did she say?"_

" _I can't tell you," Claire shook her head, "She has to tell you herself."_

" _She won't talk," Gabriel sighed. He knew Elle, stubborn and petulant. She'd rather avoid him every single night than talk._

_Claire exhaled impatiently, "Then make her. You'll lose her if you don't. Just…make it work." If Sylar can make it work…then maybe she can make it work with Peter too._

Gabriel kissed her shoulder gently. "What happened with you and Claire?"

"Nothing," Elle replied impassively.

Gabriel ignored the tingle in his ears. "Why were you guys fighting?"

"We weren't fighting." She kept her back to him.

Another annoying tingle. Gabriel kept his tone even. "You tried to crush her windpipe."

"She can regenerate," there was a hard edge in her voice, "I'm tired. We can talk tomorrow."

Gabriel took a deep breath, trying to keep his cool. It suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know how to talk to an unwilling Elle at all. When he'd been Sylar, he would threaten, he would hurt her to pry information out of her. It was easy, tempting, but he did not want to be that person anymore.

He turned off the light with a lift of his finger, then wrapped his arm around Elle and closed his eyes. He felt Elle's body stiffen under his touch. When Elle tried to subtly squirm out of his embrace, he tightened his arm and pulled her back, gentle but firm. There was only so much he could tolerate, even as Gabriel.

Elle had a dream tonight.

 

X X X

 

Gabriel walked into the cemetery, holding a bunch of lilies. He walked along rows of tombstones, his expression solemn but not overly heartbroken. Whoever he was visiting had not died recently.

Finally reaching the grave that he was looking for, he crouched down and placed some flowers on the grave. He touched the name etched on the headstone affectionately and smiled. "I love you, Elle."

Gabriel sat with Elle for a few moments. He told her how much he had missed her, that he missed her laugh, her touch, and even the little shocks that she'd used to give him.

He didn't leave right away after he said goodbye to Elle. Instead, he walked to the other side of the cemetery. When he reached the aisle that he had in mind, he spotted a small blonde on the far end. Gabriel took a deep breath and walked over.

The blonde was sobbing in front of a grave. Gabriel sighed.

He put down the rest of the lilies on the grave. The headstone read  _Peter Petrelli_.

Claire started to hiccup from her heavy crying. "You didn't tell me it would hurt this much."

Gabriel crouched down beside her and said sympathetically, "There was nothing I could say to prepare you for this."

Claire remembered the wreck that Sylar'd become when Elle'd passed away. She looked at him with tears on her face and asked weakly, "Are we always going to be like this? Are we going to spend eternity losing the people we love over and over again…Are we always going to be alone at the end of the day?"

Gabriel choked as emotions overwhelmed him, "I don't know."

Claire snapped, "Don't you have an answer to everything? When you cut my head open and took my ability, did you realize you were signing up for  _this_?"

Gabriel let out a sigh of tiredness, "Claire…"

And then Claire pulled him down by his collar and kissed him.

 

X X X

 

Gabriel was woken up by Elle's whimpers. He sat up with a jolt, realizing that the lights of the entire house were flickering.

He looked over to Elle. She had her eyes shut. Her whole body shook as she sobbed. Tears poured from the corners of her eyes and blue sparks flickered on her fingertips.

Gabriel furrowed his brows with concern. Was she having a nightmare? "Elle," he tapped her shoulder lightly. He pushed her hair from her face and wiped her tears away. "Elle, shhh, I'm here."

Elle woke up with an abrupt jerk. She sat up frantically and shoved Gabriel away. "Go away. Don't touch me."

Gabriel frowned and reached out to touch her. "Elle…"

"DON'T. TOUCH. ME," Elle shouted and shocked him with both hands, sending him flying across the room. "You kissed her! You kissed her!" She repeated hysterically and started crying.

Gabriel hissed in pain and stood back up, his burns healing themselves.

"Kissed who?" He demanded in utter confusion.

"Claire Bennet!" Elle spat, with angry tears streaming down her face and electricity crackling on her hands. "I knew it'd happen. She was always so  _special_  to you—"

"What the hell?" Gabriel glared at Elle, his temper rising at her unreasonable accusation. "When did I kiss her?"

"Not yet! But you will! I saw it!" She replied flatly.

Gabriel exhaled exasperatedly as understanding dawned on him. "Elle, you  _dreamed_ it, and you're not even a precog."

"I—" Elle breathed out in frustration. She knew she was not a precog. She knew what she'd dreamed was not the future—not in the way a precog painted or dreamed the future. But it was going to happen.

It was the only thing that made sense, when every attempt to bond with a human being ended with a death, it seemed only natural that they found comfort in each other.

Why was she so angry? If she truly loved Gabriel, did she wish him to spend eternity alone?

She blinked her tears away. She was selfish; she wanted Gabriel all to herself. It was just so unfair that she belonged to Gabriel completely while Gabriel didn't belong to anybody.

Elle took a deep breath to calm herself and the lights stopped blinking. She finally said, "I'm leaving."

Gabriel drew in a breath sharply. "What?"

Elle looked Gabriel in the eyes. Carefully choosing her words so that his lie detector didn't go off, she said weakly, "I want a divorce. I'm leaving."

Gabriel stared at her in shock, waiting for the tingle that indicated she was lying. The tingle did not come. He ran his hand up his hair.

"You…You're divorcing me because I kissed Claire in your damned dream?" He demanded, hoping she would realize how absurd that sounded.

Elle took off her pajamas and put on her bra, changing into a sweater and a pair of jeans. "Yes, because I know that will happen, and because I think it's not going to work between us." She took out a small luggage from the closet.

Again, there was no tingle. Gabriel felt like his world was crumbling.

Elle tried to open the luggage, but the zipper wouldn't move. She glared at Gabriel.

He tilted his head and regarded Elle with searching eyes. "You think it's not going to work between us, after nearly 20 years?"

"Yes," Elle answered flatly, "now can I pack?"

She was not lying. "No," Gabriel's face darkened. "Why do you think something will happen between Claire and me?"

Because the two of you would probably be the only people left if human race went extinct. "Woman's instincts."

Gabriel smiled. That was a lie. "Why were you and Claire fighting tonight?"

"I told you we were not fighting."

"You know I know when you're lying," Gabriel reminded her, pointing at his temple.

"So what? You've known I am a liar from the very beginning." Elle yanked at the luggage zipper again, it did not even budge. "Just let me go."

Gabriel strode over and grabbed her shoulders, his voice barely in control. "You have no idea what you're doing to me." Without glasses, his demeanor is almost like Sylar, her big bad wolf. "You're avoiding me all the time, acting weird, fist fighting with Claire, now you're divorcing me because of a ridiculous dream!" Gabriel lifted her chin. "Look at me. What is happening?!"

The confusion was consuming him. He  _needed_ to understand what was destroying them. He wished Elle were one of his watches that he could break open and see how it ticked.

For a second Elle felt sorry for the torment that she was causing Gabriel, but then she reminded herself that Gabriel had all the time in the world to get over her, but she could not sit and wait for the day she looked like his grandmother…Gabriel would either leave her or stay with her out of pity.

She would rather die than be in either situation.

She looked at Gabriel stubbornly. "Are you going to force the truth out of me? You can choke me, cut me, even zap me."

Shock and hurt creased his face at her words. They'd been married for nearly  _20 years_ , why had they come to this?

"I'm not going to hurt you," he nearly growled.

Elle gave him a sad smile. She loved this man, it was indeed her loss that she wouldn't be the one by his side at the end of the day. "Then just let me go."

"But I will find out the truth." Gabriel let go of her, his gaze dark and intense with promise. "I'm going to kill a telepath, and when I come back, you  _will_  tell me the truth. You can run, but I won't stop until I find you."

Elle gasped and tears ran down her cheeks. Gabriel hadn't killed in a long, long time…

"'Till death do us part, Elle." Gabriel gave her an accusing glance, and then with a whooshing sound, flew out the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is totally unfair to Gabriel. But I can only imagine Elle's pain and her crushed self-esteem knowing that she will grow old but Gabriel won't.  
> Please kindly read and review, or give me a kudos if you have enjoyed the read :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Heroes or its characters.

* * *

**3**

"'Till death do we part, Elle."

Their marriage vow.

Elle wrapped a blanket around herself and sat numbly on the couch, keeping her eyes on the door. She'd never expected it to become so cold without Gabriel's presence. She'd thought it would be freeing…she'd thought she would be running away from misery.

Now she only wanted to curl up against him. She would tell him everything. She would tell him that she loved him. She would tell him that she was jealous because one day she wouldn't be perfect anymore and then some other woman would steal his heart. She would tell him that she wanted to grow old with him. She would ask Gabriel to fix her—she didn't know how, but Gabriel was the most powerful man; he could fix everything. He could fix her heartache.

And there she'd thought she had matured and toughened up over the years…perhaps she had, for Noah. Noah had grown up to be everything she wanted him to be. Strong, resilient, independent, and  _happy_. But despite everything, she was still the same insecure, needy Elle. She just wanted her Gabriel.

Was he really going to kill a telepath? Elle gulped and felt a chill roll down her spine. Gabriel had stopped killing many years ago. He hadn't done that for Elle, because she'd never asked him to. She had fallen for the sweet watchmaker, only then became captivated by the forceful serial killer.

She loved them both, for both of them were the building blocks that completed her husband. It had made her heart flutter to see a hint of Sylar today, somewhere buried under the careful mask of Gabriel.

Now that Noah had grown up without a demon dancing on his shoulder, would Gabriel revert to his old ways?

With her mind full of Gabriel and Sylar, Elle eventually fell asleep.

X X X

Elle stirred when she heard the lock turn. She woke up with a start and saw Gabriel walk in. He looked tired.

"Hey." Gabriel set down the keys on the table.

Elle's heart squeezed at the sight of him. She ran to him and hugged him tight. "Gabriel, I-I—" she stopped and frowned. Gabriel smelled like perfume. It actually smelled familiar.

"Uh…did you…" Elle trailed off, a bit puzzled.

"Did I kill a telepath? No. I was going to track one down, but…" Gabriel said in a low voice, his expression unreadable. "I went to Claire's."

A chill spread through Elle's chest and she took a step back, and then something caught her eyes. The sight of a red stain on the collar of his white T-shirt was enough to make her blood boil. She would have preferred blood on his shirt—but it was lipstick.

Claire's perfume. Claire's lipstick. He hadn't even bothered covering up his betrayal.

"You…" Elle shook with rage. Why did this hurt so much? It felt like he had killed her all over again. At least last time he'd had the mercy to  _actually_  kill her. But this time…she was not sure if the pain would go away.

First he fucked her then he killed her then he knocked her up and married her, now he cheated on her.

Her hands crackled with electricity and the lights in the house started blinking.

Gabriel glanced at the flickering lights then looked at her patronizingly. "Elle, stop."

"Shut up. Shut up," Elle said through gritted teeth. She shot a bolt of electricity at him.

Gabriel ducked and the electricity destroyed the glass cabinet behind him.

He lifted his hand and held Elle in place. "I said stop it!" He snapped.

Elle struggled to move. Great. Now he wouldn't even let her zap him. "You asshole! What're you going to tell Noah, huh? That you cheated on his mom with a 16-year-old cheerleader? You're fucking disgusting, Gabriel Gray!" She shouted as tears spilled down her face.

" _What?!_ " Gabriel scowled, anger colouring his tone. "Don't you dare drag Noah into this. And Claire isn't even 16, and I—" He threw his hands up in annoyance. "Why does it even matter, Elle? You want a divorce. What do you care?"

" _Why does it matter?!_ " Elle repeated, totally enraged. Realizing she could move now, she formed a ball of electricity in her hand and strode towards Gabriel threateningly.

Gabriel eyed her hand and warned, "Don't think I won't zap you back."

Elle clenched her teeth and closed her hand into a fist, and she punched him in the face.

"Ouch!" Gabriel fell back onto the couch, pressing his sore cheekbone with his hand. He was starting to think that Claire was an idiot and this plan was not going to work after all. He should have gone with killing the telepath.

"You don't even have the decency to  _wait_ till we're actually divorced?" Elle demanded, clutching her sore hand. "You just couldn't wait to get your hands on the immortal girl. You son of a bitch!" She tried to land a blow again.

Immortal girl?!

All of a sudden everything clicked, all the pieces fit together and it made perfect sense now. Gabriel grasped her wrist. "This is what it's about. Immortal. You're mad because I'm immortal."

"I'm mad because you're a fucking cheater!" Elle hissed and tried to pull her hand back. "Let go of me!"

"Elle, listen to me—"

"Let go! You fucking bastard!"

Gabriel held both her wrists in his hands and pinned her down on the sofa. "Listen to me!" He panted and looked at her tear-streaked face, "I didn't do anything with Claire—"

"I don't even need a lie detector—" Elle said, her tone full of contempt.

"Are you listening?!" Gabriel tightened his grip impatiently. "I did  _not_  do anything with Claire. I don't even like Claire."

Elle blinked her tears away and said sarcastically, "That makes perfect sense. That's why there's lipstick and perfume on you."

Gabriel suppressed a smile. "Well, I did see Claire. I figured if I could get the truth from Claire then I wouldn't have to kill to find out. I told her about you wanting to divorce me and your crazy dream. She didn't tell me anything, but she gave me Peter's shirt with lipstick stain on it. She said I should be able to get the truth from you if I riled you up enough."

Elle stared at Gabriel, wide-eyed and stunned. Gabriel could almost hear the gears in her brain turning, processing the new information. "…You don't like Claire?"

Gabriel huffed a sigh. "No, I've never thought of her that way." He stroked her cheek. "Are we good now?"

He might have been obsessed with her power, and intrigued by how she coped with her unwanted immortality. Not to mention, extremely guilty for terrorizing her the entire time, but he was not going to go there.

Elle lowered her gaze for a moment. "Maybe you'll like her in a few hundred years."

Gabriel exhaled deeply. He didn't like to think about the endless time stretched out before him. "I don't know what's going to happen in a few hundred years. But if I had a choice, I would always choose you, Elle."

"But—"

Not wanting to hear anymore, he cupped Elle's cheek and kissed her with new found possessiveness. One day he would have to let her go, to a place he could not follow. But until then, she was  _his_. His hand traveled down and slipped under her sweater, caressing her smooth skin.

Elle caught his hand and tried to sit up. "Gabriel…you…you don't have to do this if you…don't want to," she finished in a small voice.

Gabriel frowned, confused. "Do what?"

Elle gestured between the two of them, "…this."

Gabriel stared at her. Then he made a sliding motion with his finger, unzipping her sweater and revealing the laced bra inside. He placed her hand on his hardness and arched an eyebrow at her. "Help me understand why I wouldn't want this."

Elle frowned and sputtered, "Well…but I kept trying last week and you didn't want me."

Gabriel furrowed his brows and tried to think back to the previous week. "I told you I was tired."

"Exactly." Elle pursed her lips. "That's what men say when they aren't interested."

Gabriel rolled his eyes at her. "Yes, but that's also what men say when they are  _actually_ tired. Peter got me to help take down a special who sucked energy from the people around him. I was exhausted for the whole week."

Elle made a small "Oh."

"And I didn't tell you 'cause I didn't want you to worry," Gabriel added.

"Oh," Elle responded.

"And you were going to divorce me because of that, and your crazy dream." Gabriel shook his head incredulously.

Elle shifted her eyes away, her expression sheepish.

He grinned. "How're you going to make it up to me?"

She pounced on him like a cat. She stripped him out of Peter's stupid shirt and unbuckled his belt with her mouth, torturously slow. She giggled when Gabriel grew impatient and picked her up and pushed her back on the dining table.

She was a happy Elle, Gabriel loved her and wanted her and belonged to her.

Elle sat on Gabriel's lap contently after their lovemaking. She listened to his heartbeats as her mind wandered. "You know, Gabriel," she suddenly said, "I was jealous because someday I'll die and then somebody else will steal your heart."

Gabriel stiffened. He knew nothing of the far future, but he also knew that rash promises would do more damage than good.

"But that's okay. I want you to be happy even if I can't be there with you," she continued relaxedly.

Gabriel smiled a lopsided smile affectionately. "Didn't expect that from a sociopath."

She shocked him and earned an "Ow".

"I still wish I could grow old with you though," Elle added a little sadly.

Gabriel blinked, and then widened his eyes as a thought crossed his mind. He couldn't give her immortality. He couldn't even take away his own, but there  _was_  something that he could do.

A small smirk played on his lips as he said, "What if I could make that happen?"

Elle's head snapped up to look at him, her blue eyes large and hopeful. "You could?"

His eyes crinkled as he smiled. "What're you willing to do for that to happen?"

"Anything!" Elle blurted out without thinking.

Gabriel looked at her with amusement. "So you'll wash the dishes when it's your turn and stop seducing your way out of it?"

Elle pouted. "Fine."

"Same with laundry?" Gabriel went on.

Elle frowned. "Fine."

Gabriel had to bite back a laugh at her reluctant face. "And stop walking around naked when I'm fixing watches."

Elle's frown had turned into a glare now. "FINE."

Gabriel laughed and kissed her. "Alright, how old do you want me to look? 40? 50?" Then Elle's mouth dropped open in astonishment as Gabriel's appearance shifted. Lines appeared on his face and grey hair appeared at his temples. He looked more sophisticated, maybe 45.

Elle burst out laughing. Of course, Gabriel could shapeshift. How come she never thought of that? "Oh my God…that's genius."

She touched his face excitedly. "I know, I know. Make yourself look 70, then everybody will think you're lucky to have a hot blonde as your wife."

Gabriel scoffed. "They'll probably think you're a gold digger."

Elle giggled and poked his face. "Can you make yourself look like Orlando Bloom? I would very much like to have sex with Orlando Bloom. Oh and a young Brad Pitt. And Leonardo DiCaprio." She smiled slyly. A woman could have her fantasies.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at her. Bad…bad girl.

"You better not call those names in bed," He growled.

Elle yelped as Gabriel picked her up and carried her upstairs. She gave him a small zap just for fun.

She really was a happy Elle.

-End-

* * *

**Author's note:**

I'm happy 'cause Elle's happy.

Please kindly review if you have enjoyed the read!

**Author's Note:**

> Sylar/Elle is my One True Pairing. I figure his immortality is something that they have to discuss inevitably...  
> Please kindly read and review and tell me what you think!


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